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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 31 January 2018
Louvre displays art looted by Nazis, hopes to find owners

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN ries.”
Associated Press The Louvre initiative is the
PARIS (AP) — The Louvre latest effort by French au-
Museum is putting 31 paint- thorities to find heirs of
ings on permanent display families who lost their art-
in an effort to find the right- work. A working group set
ful owners of those and up by the Culture Ministry is
other works of art looted by in charge of tracing back
Nazis during World War II. the origins of the art and
The Paris museum opened identifying owners. But it’s
two showrooms last month a long and laborious task:
to display the paintings, only some 50 pieces have
which are among thou- been returned since 1951.
sands of works of art loot- “People who come for-
ed by German forces in ward need, for instance, to
France between 1940 and establish the proof that the
1945. artwork belonged to their
More than 45,000 objects grandfather,” Allard said.
have been handed back “They need to find old fam-
to their rightful owners since ily pictures and payment
the war, but more than slips, or gather testimonies.
2,000 remain unclaimed, It can take years.”
including 296 paintings Paintings looted by Nazis during World War II, are on display at the Louvre museum, in Paris, In addition to the display
stored at the Louvre. Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018. of art in several museums
“These paintings don’t be- Associated Press across the country, French
long to us. Museums of- authorities have also de-
ten looked like predators ish families during World from Theodore Rousseau, the label “MNR,” French signed an MNR catalog
in the past, but our goal is War II. Beneficiaries can “La Source du Lizon.” initials for National Muse- , which is available on-
to return them,” Sebastien see these artworks, declare Other more famous looted ums Recovery. line and can help owners
Allard, the head of the that these artworks belong works had already been “We needed to draw at- identify their items without
paintings department at to them, and officially ask on display in the museum, tention further to the mat- traveling to the Louvre.
the Louvre, told The Associ- for their return.” but visitors did not neces- ter and raise public aware- The complete list is known
ated Press in an interview The paintings in the new sarily know they had been ness,” said Allard. “We under the name of Rose
on Tuesday. showrooms are from vari- stolen by the Nazis. In mu- thought it was important to Valland, a French curator
“The large majority of the ous artists of different eras seums, pieces of art re- highlight the specific case who risked her life keeping
retrieved artworks have and horizons, including a trieved by the French au- of these works, which are notes on all the art the Na-
been plundered from Jew- remarkable landscape thorities are identified with not listed on our invento- zis stole during the war.q
‘Mothers of Sparta’ looks at significant moments in life

By TRACEE M. HERBAUGH cakes on sticks. The dress was a dud, but
Associated Press During this foray, her boy- the daughter called off the
What’s in a life? friend died in a tragic acci- marriage anyway, choos-
Forget celebrities and su- dent while visiting his home ing to keep pursuing her
perstars, or Nobel Laure- country of Brazil. She is then education at a top- tier
ates and the like, the peo- left alone to grieve in Bos- school.
ple who live in the realms ton. Some of the most compel-
of the extraordinary and Yet, not soon after the ac- ling writing is on the subject
exciting. cident, Davies has her sec- of parenting.
On the contrary: What are ond run in with death as Davies’ ruminations about
the significant moments she watches a Northeast- being a mom are all over
that make up the story of a ern University student killed the place — happy and
regular person? by an impaired driver on sad, funny and serious —
“Mothers of Sparta: a Mem- a busy thoroughfare while but they’re sure to reso-
oir in Pieces” by Dawn Da- on a date in neighboring nate with readers who
vies answers this question, Cambridge. Davies held have kids.
and eloquently so. Each the dying girl’s hand and “Children can hold hope
chapter reads like a stand- sang “Jesus Loves Me.” for a long time without
alone essay. Still, “Mothers of Sparta” it burning their hand, far
You can read them one isn’t just a grim recount- longer than adults can,
at a time, but, as a whole, ing of all the suffering that which is what allows them
they make sense. Davies has experienced. to complete the act of
“Mothers of Sparta” opens There are laugh-out-loud growing up in a world full
with Davies detailing her funny moments — such as of people who lie, where
struggle with anxiety. the time she rescued a dog people let you down all
Davies dropped out of with her second husband the time,” Davies writes.
college at 19 and moved and young children. Or the “Mothers of Sparta” offers
from her home state of story about trying to save exquisite writing and story-
Florida to Boston, where money on her 19-year-old telling craft.
she worked various jobs daughter’s wedding by Davies, it seems, can bring This cover image released by Flatiron Books shows “Mothers of
and attempted to launch ordering a designer dress to life just about anything Sparta: A Memoir in Pieces,” by Dawn Davies.
a business selling cheese- from China. with her writing.q Associated Press